Faith
by SoulTask
Summary: How can one act of love vanquish one's inner sinful self? Castiel may have to find out. *SPOILERS* for Season 9! Don't read if you haven't watched. Destiel One-Shot.


**Faith**

Though the light was blinding, Castiel knew they had returned to the barn.

It felt weird knowing that only a few hours ago, Sam had been carrying his brother's unconscious body, with Castiel and Anne Marie behind him, through those large swaying doors. The burst of wind that diverged from their abrupt entry back into the barn startled the hinges and nails that held the whole place together.

In those last few hours, Sam and Anne didn't know how it could possibly be done. After his fight with Dean, Sam didn't know what could stop his brother from doing worse than he had already done. And Crowley wasn't even the one who told him to do it. The young Winchester had been at a loss of words.

And Anne… she didn't know what to say. She had begun to see the demon inside her friend, and she was nearly a victim of it. But Sam's intervention was only the start of a long night for her. She was scared for his sake. Who knew what was going on in that head of his?

But Castiel had a feeling. He had spoken to this Demon Dean before… only a few days ago. It felt uncomfortable, seeing Dean acting so harshly, so violently. Though he supposed that Dean was like that on his own, he knew that he was better… better than to give into those instincts so quickly. If anybody knew how far gone Dean had been hours ago, it was Cas.

But this barn felt different for Cas, even as they popped back into its large four walls. For Sam and Anne, it was a different atmosphere, especially in the last few hours waiting for an opportunity to attempt to face Crowley. To get this man back. But Cas realized something the moment they came into this barn with Dean's body. He remembered sparks, gunfire, and the shaking of boards… it was the same place, just as he remembered it.

It was the same barn where he met Dean face to face. But he didn't mention it. Not even once.

Sam, Anne, and Castiel were relieved to see the barn. The moonlit sky peering in through the cracks of the wooden boards made them feel more secure than their last locale… a rundown house with Crowley's essence sneaking about it. But they had returned for a reason. Crowley had hinted at a weakness. A weakness that was particular to Dean's demon self. One that could be tested. And the group knew it too well.

But they had forgotten it for a moment. Their eyes adjusted, and Sam's sights spotted Dean's body, still lying peacefully with soft dirt beneath. And for a moment, Sam remembered the tragic moment. The knife… the look of terror on his brother's face… and then to see it washed away by those… black eyes.

As Sam raced over to Dean's resting side, Anne hurried along with him, but Castiel took his time. He didn't want to rush things. He didn't want to see the outcome so quickly. As far as he knew, the hint could have been a fluke. So he didn't rush. Only because he didn't want to see the end so soon.

"Dean!" Sam interjected, hoping so much that Dean could somehow hear him beyond the demon veil. "Dean, tell me you hear me!"

But Sam got no response. And he assumed that he wouldn't. And as he looked at Anne, he began to realize that the hint was the only hope they had at bring him back.

Cas began to slowly make his way to Sam's left side, standing next to Dean's peaceful face. The scratches and scars made him look beaten, but he seemed so tranquil and safe… as if the bruises meant nothing to him. And, to an extent, they didn't. And Cas knew it.

"So we're going with the hint, huh?" Sam asked with a big breath in as he pushed himself onto his legs.

"It's all we've got left, Sam." Anne reminded him.

"I know. I just… do you really think it's that simple?" The plaid brother remarked.

Anne gave a doubtful look, raising her eyebrows in slight disagreement.

"Love can be pretty complex, Sammy." She replied.

Sam sighed deeply, peering down at his poor brother.

"Yeah, tell me about it."

They all looked at the restful demon. Anne saw innocence wrapped within a monster. Sam could see the goodness amongst all the bad. And Cas knew that what was lying within that beaten man was always worth fighting for.

But Castiel was concerned… maybe even terrified; he had to ask,

"How does one beat a demon with love?"

His shrill voice alarmed both Sam and Anne. For a while, they forgot that Cas was even there. But their sudden shock was cut short, as they remembered he had asked a question.

"Well, I…" Sam tried to fathom the possibilities, but he didn't have a good way to imagine it. How can a simple act of love vanquish one's inner sinful self? It seemed out of his area to grasp.

"I don't really know." He slowly admitted to the angel, who was losing hope with each pause that Sam gave him between his words.

Anne had been eyeing the dirt, wondering if Dean was going to leave as easily as dust leaves the ground in a sandstorm. But Sam's loss of thought placed her mind back in reality. She too had trouble knowing the answer. But maybe it wasn't something epic or heroic, like stabbing a monster or destroying an eternal fire. Maybe the answer was simple. Maybe the act was simple.

"Maybe it's something only someone special has the right to do." She suggested. "Someone that you love. A kiss."

Cas and Sam both turned their heads towards Anne. Kiss? What kind of answer to this problem was a kiss? It felt underwhelming to Sam, and unexpected to Cas. How could you see that coming?

"Maybe…" Anne tried to fix her statement, "… maybe only someone he loves can do it. Someone he wants… even right now."

Sam tore his eyes away from Anne, staring down at his brother's cut face.

"Then…" Sam began to wonder, "… who does he love?"

Anne turned her gaze to Sam, and Castiel's eyes slowly adjusted to Sam's question.

"Okay, I know it sounds like a dumb question to ask now, but… who does he love that way?"

Anne was confused, but Cas disagreed with Sam; it was a good question. A question that Cas had always thought about when he met Dean years ago. But Cas's answer seemed not to fit this situation. As much as he wanted it, he was sure that it was not the case. This was a show of indirect honesty from Dean, and Cas didn't want to know the outcome of it either. But he knew not to get his feelings twisted into this problem.

_It would jeopardize everything,_ he thought. _Let us lose him. Let me lose him._

Sam scuffed to himself, "Well, it's not me."

Anne chuckled to herself. But her smile gave way to more words.

"No, it's not."

For a moment, Sam was bewildered at her response; it was bold of her to point it out so quickly.

"You mean it's you?" Sam persisted, nearly turning his whole body to the right, directly at Anne.

Though they never noticed it, an audible wince came from Castiel's direction. It slightly hurt him to hear that.

"I hoped it was…" She trailed off, leaving Sam in confusion.

"But I thought you knew—" Sam began.

"I do." She interrupted. "And it's not me."

Sam was lost as to who she meant, but his eyes kept themselves locked onto Anne for an answer. Cas's head slowly rose up in wonder.

"Think about it, Sam." Anne explained. "He needs someone. Who would Dean need right now? Not Demon Dean… the real Dean. What would he want? At his weakest point?"

Sam brushed his hair to the side, searching for a name. All he got was an idea.

"I suppose… someone who could protect him…" Sam suggested. "Something like a…"

And in that moment, Sam's answer was clear as he remembered someone in that room that had been the most affected by this incident. The one that felt the worst once he saw the damage. The one who protected Dean in a time when he never thought he needed to be.

"… a guardian angel." He said.

The light bulb went on in Sam's head; it made perfect sense.

And Anne simply nodded in response.

And both sets of eyes turned to Cas.

"Me?" Castiel asked with a slight voice crack, working hard to hide his slight yet overwhelming joy.

"There was one time we kissed." Anne admitted. "If that didn't work, then I would've assumed this was pointless. But then I saw a glimpse of the real Dean. And he told me about someone far above. Someone who knew how to pick him back up."

Castiel began to turn his gaze down to Dean's serene, resting eyes.

Anne finished, "Someone he loved."

Castiel took in a deep breath. It was down to this. A simple act of love. The only act he could try... to save the one he wanted to love. The one he did love.

"I always wanted to tell him." Castiel whimpered, though his raspy voice kept his emotions at bay.

Anne smiled a little more.

"Now you really can."

Cas peered over at Anne. It was strange to see this girl, whom Dean had been with for those past couple weeks, telling him that he was the one.

"Sometimes, to let someone know you love them, the easiest way isn't to say it. It's to show it."

And Castiel, with what little emotion he could muster through his shrill face, began to lift the serious veil to reveal a crack. A smile.

And then Sam chimed in.

"Called it."

Cas just peered over at Sam. For reasons he thought were obvious, Cas believed Sam was trying to mess with him. But the young brother turned the tables.

"It took me a while to remember, but it made sense ever since I met you. I've seen the way you've looked at each other. You may not think it, but I saw something special there. Something no one else ever had with Dean. It was spiritual. Maybe the most supernatural thing I've seen before."

The trenchcoatted angel didn't know how to reply.

"And I'd hate to see that go away." Sam insisted to his angel friend. "In fact..." he began, looking at Dean's resting face, "… I say go for it."

Cas almost felt like he could faint. It felt so strange to feel so much support given to him. So much faith in him. It let him believe it was possible. It let him _know_ it was possible. And to know something… it was a good feeling to have.

Sam and Anne quickly took a few steps away from Dean. And Cas began to realize what he had to do. He slowly shimmied to the right, taking Sam's old spot. His legs aching from anxiety to begin with, he soon lowered himself to his knee, trying to take in his objective.

The angel lowered his other knee to the ground, and placed his hands on Dean's slow breathing chest. He could feel his heart pulsing. It drove him crazy, knowing how close he was to Dean. It was overwhelming. He moved his right hand up behind Dean's neck, offering support to the beaten man who needed an angel. And as he peered down at Dean's sleeping face, Cas finally saw the Dean within the Demon. Before he even acted, Castiel knew that this was right. But before he closed the gap between their lips, he wished to whisper something in case this went another direction. He inched closer, and simply whispered,

"This is for you, Dean. I love you."

And his lips pressed against his. Cas's hand grasped the back of his neck a little more, the adrenaline rising within him. But he worked to contain himself. A kiss was all he needed to show. His other hand slowly made its way up to his cheek, caressing his battered face. The contact with Dean… it felt so different for Cas. To be close to him without a complaint of personal space… and know that he was really okay with it… it meant so much to him.

It was one thing to have faith in someone to do the right thing… but a whole other thing to feel faith be put in you to do it too.

And just like that, he ended it, slowly lifting his lips from Dean's. And he felt great. He felt that he had done something to save everyone. Except…

Nothing really happened. There were no lights to see. No explosion of power that escaped. Nothing had happened due to his act. Nothing had changed. Cas had kissed him… but Dean was still unconscious. Real Dean… Cas didn't see him anymore. He could only see the Demon. Nothing was right anymore.

But a small part of Cas believed it to be a lie, and he called out to him.

"Dean?" He whimpered through his voice.

He could hear the sobs and slight gasps from Anne. And the tears of Sam rang through Cas's ears as they hit the floor. He only wished that Dean was a sound he could hear, but nothing came.

"Dean?" He persisted, now raising both hands to either cheek. His thumbs smoothly rubbed his face, but he never did anything.

"Dean!" He yelped in denial. This couldn't happen. He followed the hints. He thought he did it right!

"No… no, DEAN!" He screeched out through the cracks of the barn, nearly reaching the heavens with his cry of agony. His hands swam behind Dean's head, picking him up with an ache in each bone. Cas's knees gave way, and his legs fell down beside them. And with a painful sob, the broken angel placed Dean's head on his lap. And his tears were beginning to break through his serious veil.

"Dean… come… come back… please." Cas scratched at his loved one. "They needed… you. I needed you."

Cas's forehead solemnly rested against Dean's warm brow.

"We… we needed us."

But Cas knew there was never a response. He always knew.

He picked his head up from Dean's, and continued to reel out tears. It had taken so long for Dean to believe in him… but Cas had believed in him all along. And now he could never know if Dean knew it was so.

But a slight cough alerted Cas. The sobbing from behind him stopped in surprise. And he quickly opened his eyes through teary waves.

Dean's eyes were beginning to open. He could feel his immediate gasping of air.

And Dean's eyes looked up at Castiel's. And Cas's tears began to recede.

Dean's eyes… they were his eyes. His precious green eyes.

And Dean saw his guardian angel. And all the hunter did was smile. How Cas had missed that smile!

And it was a smile he would never miss again.


End file.
